Smiling Musicians: Creating a Positive Classroom Environment in Elementary General Music


Routines! Routines! Routines!


Creating classroom routines and establishing a sense of predictability is one of the best ways to make our students feel safe. Greeting students outside of the music classroom sets up a positive musical environment even before they enter. As students walk into the room, sing a song in an unusual tonality or sing/play a song that they are working on. Assigned seating can be helpful in keeping track of assessments, and it is also a great way to strategically place students based on their needs. Beginning with an opening activity such as a hello song is something that can remain consistent and predictable in the classroom.


Leslie Nielsen


Making music in an engaging classroom environment is a recipe for successful learning. Man- aging your music classroom in a positive and organized way is crucial to the development of smiling musicians who are motivated to learn. As music educators we want to make the most of the time that we are given with our students. Throughout this article I will provide some ideas to maximize your time with students by creating an engaging and positive learning environment.


Figure 1: Example of a Hello Song 15


General Music


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